The 2023 Executive Council Meeting of the Austronesian Forum was held in the Marshall Islands on August 15th, chaired by Icyang Parod, Chairperson of the Executive Council of the Austronesian Forum. Representatives from 12 countries and two regions, including the Minister of Culture and Internal Affairs of the Marshall Islands, a Member of the Malaysian Parliament,the CEO of the New Zealand Land Trust, and the Minister of Culture and Tourism of Palau,participated in the event.
During his opening remarks, Chairperson Icyang mentioned that President Tsai Ing-wen had promised to revive the Austronesian Forum during her visit to the Marshall Islands in November 2017. Subsequently, on August 1st, 2018, President Tsai Ing-wen and former Marshall Islands President Hilda Cathy Heine jointly presided over the reopening of the Austronesian Forum in Taipei, Taiwan. Today's meeting in the Marshall Islands holds special significance in this context.
During the Executive Council meeting, a consensus was reached to hold the 2024 Austronesian Forum and Executive Council Meeting in Taiwan in conjunction with the "3rd World Indigenous Tourism Summit" scheduled to be hosted there next year. Over the past few years, theAustronesian Forum has achieved significant results through the joint efforts of its member countries, including the revitalization of the Austronesian languages, the development of indigenous industries, youth and women's talent training, translations and publications of Austronesian cultural books, traditional leadership systems, community development, traditional sports and skill exchanges, and more.
To emphasize the subjectivity of the Austronesian languages, Chairperson Icyang delivered his entire speech in the Amis language during the Executive Council meeting, expressing his hope that Austronesian nations would use their native languages more frequently in future formal meetings.